Lateral steady acceleration simulation system for railway vehicle

ABSTRACT

To provide a lateral steady acceleration simulation system for railway vehicle, which is capable of simulating a situation in which lateral steady acceleration is applied to a railway vehicle for a long period of time, while having a compact structure. In a riding quality simulation system of the invention, a control unit activates each of actuators ( 40 ), thereby making a simulated passenger room ( 10 ) roll. Then, the simulated passenger room ( 10 ) is gradually inclined, while a component force, along an inclined plane, of gravitational acceleration g, that is, a first reproductive acceleration G 1  is generated depending on an angle of inclination θ. In this manner, a person riding on the simulated passenger room ( 10 ) bodily senses the first reproductive acceleration G 1  by the roll. At the same time, the control unit moves the simulated passenger room  10 , by means of a laterally moving device, in either of the left or right direction with acceleration G. In this manner, the person riding on the simulated passenger room ( 10 ) bodily senses a second reproductive acceleration G 2.  As a result, the person riding on the simulated passenger room ( 10 ) bodily senses a combination of the first and second reproductive accelerations G 1  and G 2  as lateral steady acceleration on a railway.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a lateral steady accelerationsimulation system for simulating lateral steady acceleration generatedwhen a railway vehicle runs around a curve or the like.

BACKGROUND ART

In order to improve the riding quality of a railway vehicle, it isessential to accurately evaluate vibration and acceleration, whichvariously change depending on conditions of railroad tracks andvehicles, from the viewpoint of passengers. Such evaluation could bemade by carrying out a running test, by means of an experimentalvehicle, between runs by commercial vehicles. In this case, however,some problems arise as follows.

First of all, it is not easy to equalize the conditions of vehicles andtracks all the time running tests are performed, and reproducibility isnot good. This fact results in a low reliability of evaluation. Also, itis difficult economically, and in view of efficiency as well, to shortenan interval of running tests or to carry out running tests a number oftimes. This fact results in a long period of development. Furthermore,it is not easy to modify conditions such as performance, properties, andthe like.

On the other hand, there is known a system for simulating the ridingquality without relying upon such running tests by use of experimentalvehicles; that is, a simulation system by means of a simple four-axisvibration table for generating vibration along an up-down axis, aleft-right axis, a forward-backward axis, and a roll axis (i.e., rotarymotion about the forward-backward axis) (for example, refer to p.p. 113to 116 of Ergonomics, vol. 33, 1997) This simulation system is capableof simultaneously generating vibrations along a plurality of axesarbitrarily selected among the four axes. According to such a simulationsystem, the aforementioned problems with the running of the experimentalvehicles could be resolved.

However, no system for simulating lateral steady acceleration, which isgenerated when a railway vehicle runs around a curve, has yet beenknown.

Such a lateral steady acceleration simulation system could be realizedby utilizing acceleration generated by moving a simulated passenger roomin the left or right direction. In the case of a long-distance curve,however, a railway vehicle is subjected to the lateral steadyacceleration for a long period of time. In order to simulate such along-period lateral steady acceleration, extremely long rails extendingin the left and right directions are required. This means that the sizeof the entire system needs to be large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention was made to solve the aforementioned problems; andmore particularly, the object of the invention is to provide a lateralsteady acceleration simulation system for railway vehicle, which iscapable of simulating a situation in which the lateral steadyacceleration is applied to a railway vehicle for a long period of time,while having a compact structure.

In order to attain the aforementioned object, there is provided alateral steady acceleration simulation system for railway vehiclecomprising:

a simulated passenger room simulating an interior of a railway vehicle;

a base for supporting the simulated passenger room;

roll application means provided between the base and the simulatedpassenger room, the roll application means being capable of applying tothe simulated passenger room at least rolling movement about aforward-backward axis;

laterally moving means for moving the base in either of the left orright direction; and

control means for controlling the roll application means and thelaterally moving means; wherein

the control means makes control in such a manner that the simulatedpassenger room is rotated and inclined about the forward-backward axisby means of the roll application means, thereby causing to a personriding on the simulated passenger room a first reproductive accelerationthat is a component force, along an inclined plane, of gravitationalacceleration, and also in such a manner that the base is subjected toaccelerated motion in either of the left or right direction by means ofthe laterally moving means, thereby causing a second reproductiveacceleration to the person riding on the simulated passenger room, thefirst and second reproductive accelerations both being utilized tosimulate lateral steady acceleration on a railway.

According to the simulation system of the invention, the lateral steadyacceleration on the railway is not simulated only by utilizing theacceleration bodily sensed by the person riding on the simulatedpassenger room by means of the accelerated motion of the base integratedwith the simulated passenger room. In addition to such acceleration, theacceleration bodily sensed by the person riding on the simulatedpassenger room by means of the rolling movement (rotation) andinclination of the simulated passenger room is also utilized, therebysimulating the lateral steady acceleration on the railway.

Therefore, according to the simulation system of the invention, even incases where a railway vehicle is subjected to the lateral steadyacceleration for a long period of time, for example, in the case ofrunning through a long-distance curving section of a railroad track,such a long-period lateral steady acceleration can be simulated byutilizing the acceleration bodily sensed by the person riding on thesimulated passenger room by means of the inclination of the simulatedpassenger room as well as the acceleration bodily sensed by him/her bymeans of the accelerated motion of the simulated passenger room. In thiscase, it is not necessary that the simulated passenger room should bemoved such a long distance in the left or right direction. As a result,the simulation system of the invention is capable of simulating asituation in which a railway vehicle is subjected to the lateral steadyacceleration for a long period of time, while having a compactstructure.

In the lateral steady acceleration simulation system of the invention,it is preferable that the control means sets angular acceleration orangular velocity, in making the simulated passenger room roll about theforward-backward axis by means of the roll application means, within arange in which the rolling movement is not recognized by human beings.In this manner, in spite of the fact that the simulated passenger roomis actually rotated, the person riding thereon is not aware of itsrotation, and thus, he/she does not have a strange feeling about theriding quality. The aforementioned range may be experientiallydetermined in advance.

In the lateral steady acceleration simulation system of the invention,it is preferable that the control means compensates for insufficiency ofthe first reproductive acceleration with the second reproductiveacceleration, thereby simulating the lateral steady acceleration on therailway. In other words, in simulating the lateral steady accelerationon the railway, the first reproductive acceleration is mainly utilized,and the second reproductive acceleration is utilized for the purpose ofcompensation therefor. In this case, the rate of the second reproductiveacceleration in the lateral steady acceleration to be simulated becomessmaller and, consequently, the moving distance of the base integratedwith the simulated passenger room can be shortened, which results in afurther compact structure of the system.

In the lateral steady acceleration simulation system of the invention,it is preferable that the control means adjusts the second reproductiveacceleration such that it has negative value, and correspondinglyadjusts the first reproductive acceleration so as to stop the motion ofthe base, if the base is in motion in either of the left or rightdirection when the second reproductive acceleration has reached zero. Ata point of time at which the second reproductive acceleration hasreached zero, the lateral steady acceleration is simulated only byutilizing the first reproductive acceleration and, therefore, it wouldbe possible to keep simulating the lateral steady acceleration bymaintaining such a state. However, in cases where the base is in motionwhen the second reproductive acceleration has reached zero, and if sucha state is maintained as it is, the base continues to move at a constantvelocity, which results in a large moving distance of the base in theleft or right direction. Thus, in such a case, the second reproductiveacceleration is preferably adjusted to have negative value, and thefirst reproductive acceleration is preferably adjusted correspondinglyas well, thereby stopping the motion of the base. In this manner, thebase is not kept moving, and thus, the structure of the system can bemade compact.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view showing the entire structure of a riding qualitysimulation system according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing how to dispose actuators;

FIGS. 3A to 3E are explanatory views showing the motion of the actuatorswhen vibration along each of six axes is applied to a simulatedpassenger room;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an example of a curve of a railwayline (track);

FIG. 5 is a graph showing changes with time in acceleration applied to apassenger and changes with time in velocity of the simulated passengerroom, in simulating the traveling of a railway vehicle around a curve;and

FIGS. 6A and 6B are explanatory views showing first and secondreproductive accelerations, respectively.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of the invention is hereinafter described withreference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a view showing the entire structureof a riding quality simulation system according to the embodiment. Ariding quality simulation system 1 according to this embodiment is anexample of a lateral steady acceleration simulation system of theinvention, which comprises a simulated passenger room 10, a passengerroom mounting table 20, a base 30, six actuators 40, a drive unit 60,and a control unit 60.

The simulated passenger room 10 is a closed space imitating an interiorof a railway vehicle. In the simulated passenger room 10, seats 11,which are the same as those of the railway vehicle, are arranged in thesame manner as in the railway vehicle. Peripheral walls and a ceilingare also provided in the same manner as those of the railway vehicle.Each of lateral walls is provided with a simulated window 12, in whichan imaging device 12 a is installed. While a simulated running test isbeing performed, views seen from an actual railway vehicle during itstraveling are projected on the imaging device 12 a. Furthermore,speakers (not illustrated) are also installed inside the simulatedpassenger room 10 such that, while the simulated running test is beingperformed, sounds heard in an actual railway vehicle during itstraveling are outputted from the speakers.

The passenger room mounting table 20 is a table on which the simulatedpassenger room 10 is to be mounted. The simulated passenger room 10 ismounted on the passenger room mounting table 20 via a high-frequencyvibration table 25. The high-frequency vibration table 25 is arelatively small device that is capable of reproducing vibration alongthree axes, i.e., an up-down axis, a left-right axis, and aforward-backward axis, in a high-frequency range of at least 5 to 40 Hz.

The base 30 supports the passenger room mounting table 20 via sixactuators 40. The base 30 is movable along two guide rails 31, 31extending in the lateral direction. More specifically, the base 30 ismoved by a laterally moving device 32 (corresponding to laterally movingmeans of the invention), which is employed, during the simulated runningtest, to simulate running of a railway vehicle taking a curve.

The six actuators 40 are, as shown in FIG. 2, respectively arrangedalong six sides of a virtual octahedron comprising, as its top face, avirtual triangle T1 on the passenger room mounting table 20 and, as itsbottom face, a virtual triangle T2 on the base 30, the six sidesrespectively connecting vertexes of the virtual triangle T1 and those ofthe virtual triangle T2. Each of the actuators 40 is rotatably attached,at its upper end, to the undersurface of the passenger room mountingtable 20 and, at its lower end, to the top face of the base 30. Eachactuator 40 is a hydraulic servo actuator (that is, a vibrationgeneration part having a piston with a hydraulic control mechanism) and,as shown in FIG. 3, is composed of a piston rod 41 for its upper partand a cylinder 42 for its lower part

The drive unit 50 drives the actuators 40 by supplying each of theactuators 40 with hydraulic pressure generated by a hydraulic pump (notshown).

The control unit 60 (corresponding to control means of the invention)controls the drive unit 50 such that the hydraulic pressure generated bythe hydraulic pump of the drive unit 50 is adjusted to provide apressure and a flow as required by each of the actuators 40, therebyactivating each of the actuators 40. In this manner, the simulatedpassenger room 10 mounted on the passenger room mounting table 20 issubjected to oscillation or vibration in a low-frequency range along sixaxes, that is, an up-down axis, a left-right axis, a forward-backwardaxis, a yaw axis (i.e., rotary motion about the up-down axis), a pitchaxis (i.e., rotary motion about the forward-backward axis), and a rollaxis (i.e., rotary motion about the forward-backward axis). Also, thecontrol unit 60 controls the laterally moving device 32 so as to movethe base 30 integrated with the simulated passenger room 10 with anarbitrary acceleration.

Here, a unit for applying oscillation or vibration in a low-frequencyrange along six axes, including the six actuators 40 and the drive unit50, is referred to as a six-degree-of-freedom vibration device(corresponding to roll application means of the invention). As such asix-degree-of-freedom vibration device, for example, a Stewart-typesix-degree-of-freedom motion, which is conventionally known, may beemployed.

Now, the operation of the six-degree-of-freedom vibration device of theriding quality simulation system 1 according to this embodiment isdescribed. FIGS. 3A to 3E are explanatory views showing the motion ofthe six actuators 40 when vibration along each of six axes is applied tothe simulated passenger room. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3E, the controlunit 60 controls the drive unit 50 so as to appropriately adjust theamount of protrusion of the piston rods 41 of the six actuators 40,thereby applying to the passenger room mounting table 20, and thus tothe simulated passenger room 10, oscillation or vibration in alow-frequency range along the up-down axis, the left-right axis, theforward-backward axis, the roll axis, the pitch axis, or the yaw axis.Also, the control unit 60 allows a simultaneous application ofoscillations or vibrations along a plurality of axes arbitrarilyselected among the six axes, by controlling the drive unit 50accordingly.

Now, in the riding quality simulation system 1 according to thisembodiment, the operation for simulating lateral steady accelerationgenerated when a railway vehicle runs around a curve is described.

As shown in FIG. 4, a curve of a railway line (track) comprises a firsttransition curve 91, a circular curve 92, and a second transition curve93. The first transition curve 91 is a section of the railway line inwhich radii of curvature gradually become smaller between a linearsection 90 and the circular curve 92 and finally reach a radius ofcurvature of the circular curve 92. The circular curve 92 is a sectionof the railway line having a constant radius of curvature. The secondtransition curve 93 is a section of the railway line in which radii ofcurvature gradually become larger between the circular curve 92 and alinear section 94, the second transition curve 93 finally turning into astraight line of the linear section 94.

An example of acceleration generated when a railway vehicle runs aroundsuch a curve is shown in FIG. 5. More particularly, shown in an upperpart of this FIG. 5 is relationship between time and acceleration towhich a person riding on the simulated passenger room 10 is subjected,and shown in a lower part thereof is relationship between time andmoving velocity of the simulated passenger room 10. As shown in theupper part of FIG. 5, lateral steady acceleration α (shown by analternate-long-and-short dashed line) increases at a constant rate inthe first transition curve 91 and reaches a fixed value (i.e., constantacceleration) in the circular curve 92.

In order to simulate such a lateral steady acceleration pattern as shownin the upper part of FIG. 5, the control unit 60 makes control in such amanner that the simulated passenger room 10 is subjected to roll and thebase 30 integrated with the simulated passenger room 10 is subjected toaccelerated motion, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, the control unit 60 activateseach of the actuators 40 via the drive unit 50, thereby making thesimulated passenger room 10 roll (see FIG. 3D). In this manner, thesimulated passenger room 10 is gradually inclined, while a componentforce, along the inclined plane, of gravitational acceleration g, thatis, a first reproductive acceleration G1 (=g·sin θ) is generateddepending on an angle of inclination θ. This means that the personriding on the simulated passenger room 10 bodily senses the firstreproductive acceleration G1 by the roll. Also, as shown in FIG. 6B, thecontrol unit 60 moves the simulated passenger room 10, by means of thelaterally moving device 32, in either of the left or right directionwith acceleration G. Accordingly, the person riding on the simulatedpassenger room 10 bodily senses a second reproductive acceleration G2,which is a component force, along the inclined plane, of theacceleration G of the simulated passenger room (=G·cos θ). As a result,the person riding on the simulated passenger room 10 bodily senses acombination of the first and second reproductive accelerations G1 and G2as lateral steady acceleration on a railway.

Now, the procedure for simulating the lateral steady accelerationpattern as shown in the upper part of FIG. 5 is described in detail.First of all, a range of angular acceleration and angular velocitywithin which rolling movement is not recognized by a person riding onthe simulated passenger room 10 is experientially determined in advance(this range hereinafter referred to as an insensible range). In thefirst transition curve 91, the simulated passenger room 10 is subjectedto rolling movement within the insensible range. In this manner, as thesimulated passenger room 10 is inclined by the rolling movement, itsangle of inclination θ is increased, and the first reproductiveacceleration G1 is increased as well. In this respect, the firstreproductive acceleration G1 is controlled to increase at a fixed rate.Then, insufficiency of the first reproductive acceleration G1 relativeto the lateral steady acceleration α is compensated for with the secondreproductive acceleration G2, thereby simulating the lateral steadyacceleration α (=G1+G2). Here, the second reproductive acceleration G2is also increased at a fixed rate.

Subsequently, the first reproductive acceleration G1 is still increasedat the fixed rate for a while after reaching a point of time t1, atwhich switching is made to the circular curve 92. On the contrary, thesecond reproductive acceleration G2 is now decreased at a fixed rate,since the insufficiency of the first reproductive acceleration G1relative to the lateral steady acceleration α is gradually reduced.

Then, at a point of time t2, at which the first reproductiveacceleration G1 becomes equal to the lateral steady acceleration α, thesecond reproductive acceleration G2 becomes zero. However, at the pointof time t2, the base 30 integrated with the simulated passenger room 10is still moving at a velocity v0 (see the lower part of FIG. 5).Accordingly, if this state were maintained as it were, lack of length ofthe guide rails 31, 31 would be raised due to the continuing motion ofthe base 30 integrated with the simulated passenger room 10, althoughthe lateral steady acceleration α could be simulated only by the firstreproductive acceleration G1.

Therefore, after passing the point of time t2, the second reproductiveacceleration G2 continues to be decreased at the fixed rate to reachnegative value, such that the velocity of the simulated passenger room10 is lowered. On the other hand, the first reproductive acceleration G1continues to be increased at the fixed rate so as to be equal, incombination with the second reproductive acceleration G2, to the lateralsteady acceleration α.

Further subsequently, the second reproductive acceleration G2 still hasnegative value after passing a point of time t3. However, the absolutevalue thereof is decreased at a fixed rate, and thus, the movingvelocity of the base 30 integrated with the simulated passenger room 10is finally made zero at a point of time t4. Between the points of timet3 and t4, the first reproductive acceleration G1 is decreased at afixed rate so as to be equal, in combination with the secondreproductive acceleration G2, to the lateral steady acceleration α.

Then, after passing the point of time t4, the second reproductiveacceleration G2 is kept zero, and the lateral steady acceleration α issimulated only by the first reproductive acceleration G1. In otherwords, after the point of time t4, the lateral steady acceleration α issimulated only by means of the angle of inclination θ of the simulatedpassenger room 10, with the base 30 integrated with the simulatedpassenger room 10 stopping.

On the contrary, in order to simulate the lateral steady accelerationapplied to the railway vehicle during running from the circular curve tothe linear section passing through the second transition curve, thereversed control may be carried out.

As described in detail above, by adopting the riding quality simulationsystem 1 according to the embodiment, lateral steady accelerationapplied to a railway vehicle for a long period of time, for example, incases where the railway vehicle runs through a long-distance curvingsection, can be simulated. More particularly, such lateral steadyacceleration is simulated by utilizing the first reproductiveacceleration G1 that is bodily sensed by a person riding on thesimulated passenger room 10 by means of the inclination of the simulatedpassenger room 10, in addition to the second reproductive accelerationG2 that is bodily sensed by the person riding on the simulated passengerroom 10 by means of the accelerated motion of the simulated passengerroom 10. Consequently, it is not necessary that the simulated passengerroom 10 should be shifted such a long distance in the left or rightdirection. Accordingly, a situation in which a railway vehicle issubjected to lateral steady acceleration for a long period of time canbe simulated within a compact structure of the system.

Also, the angular acceleration or angular velocity in making thesimulated passenger room 10 roll is set within an insensible range and,accordingly, the person riding on the simulated passenger room 10 doesnot become aware of the rolling movement. Therefore, he/she does nothave a strange feeling about the riding quality. Especially, thesimulated passenger room 10 is a closed space and the person ridingthereon can not see the outside, which makes it more difficult forhim/her to notice the simulated passenger room 10 rotating. As a result,the person riding on the simulated passenger room 10 would never feelodd while riding thereon.

Furthermore, in simulation of the lateral steady acceleration on therailway, the first reproductive acceleration G1 is mainly utilized,while the second reproductive acceleration G2 is utilized for thepurpose of compensation therefor. Consequently, the rate of the secondreproductive acceleration G2 in the lateral steady acceleration to besimulated becomes smaller, and a moving distance of the simulatedpassenger room 10 can thus be shortened, which results in a furthercompact structure of the system.

Further in addition, in cases where the base 30 is still in motion atthe point of time t2, at which the second reproductive acceleration G2has reached zero, the second reproductive acceleration G2 is adjusted tohave negative value such that the motion of the base 30 is stoppedthereafter. At the same time, the first reproductive acceleration G1 iscorrespondingly adjusted and, therefore, the base 30 is not kept moving,which also results in a compact structure of the system.

The present invention is, of course, not restricted to the abovedescribed embodiment, and may be practiced or embodied in still otherways within the technical scope of the invention.

For example, in the above described embodiment, the six actuators 40 areprovided as the roll application means for making the simulatedpassenger room 10 roll. However, the roll application means is notrestricted to such actuators 40 and may be any other device that canmake the simulated passenger room 10 roll. More particularly, thefour-axis simulation system as mentioned in the description of the“Background Art” may be employed.

Also, in the above described embodiment, centrifugal force generated atthe time of rolling of the simulated passenger room 10 is not taken intoconsideration; however, the lateral steady acceleration may be simulatedin view of such centrifugal force.

Furthermore, in the above described embodiment, the base 30 is moved bymeans of the laterally moving device 32; however, the base 30 may bedesigned to be movable by itself in the left or right direction.

Further in addition, in the above described embodiment, a relativelysimple pattern is given as an example of a lateral steady accelerationpattern, as shown in FIG. 5. However, the lateral steady accelerationsimulation system of the invention is capable of simulating not onlylateral steady acceleration that is linearly changed as in the case ofFIG. 5, but also lateral steady acceleration that is more complicatedlychanged with a curve.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As mentioned above, by adopting a lateral steady acceleration simulationsystem of the invention, it is possible to simulate a situation in whicha railway vehicle is subjected to the lateral steady acceleration for along period of time, while having a compact structure.

1. A lateral steady acceleration simulation system for railway vehicle,comprising: a simulated passenger room simulating an interior of arailway vehicle; a base for supporting the simulated passenger room; aroll application mechanism provided between the base and the simulatedpassenger room and capable of applying to the simulated passenger roomat least a rolling movement about a forward-backward axis; a laterallymoving mechanism for moving the base in either of a left or a rightdirection and capable of applying a corresponding lateral accelerationto the simulated passenger room; and a control mechanism for controllingthe roll application mechanism and the laterally moving mechanism, sothat the simulated passenger room is rotated and inclined about theforward-backward axis by the roll application mechanism, therebyimposing on a person riding on the simulated passenger room a firstreproductive acceleration that is a component force of gravitationalacceleration along an inclined plane, and the base is subjected toaccelerated motion in one of the left direction and the right directionby the laterally moving mechanism, thereby imposing on the person ridingon the simulated passenger room a second reproductive acceleration bylateral acceleration of the base, wherein the first reproductiveacceleration and the second reproductive acceleration together simulatea lateral acceleration of a railway vehicle on a curve of a railway, andwherein the control mechanism compensates for an insufficiency of thefirst reproductive acceleration with the second reproductiveacceleration.
 2. The lateral steady acceleration simulation system forrailway vehicle of claim 1, wherein: the control mechanism controls theroll application mechanism and the laterally moving mechanism togenerate the second reproductive acceleration with a gradient less thana gradient of the first reproductive acceleration such that the secondreproductive acceleration compensates for the insufficiency of the firstreproductive acceleration in at least an initial stage of the simulationof a lateral acceleration of a railway vehicle on a curve of a railway.3. The lateral steady acceleration simulation system for railway vehicleof claim 1, wherein: the control mechanism controls the roll applicationmechanism and the laterally moving mechanism to generate the secondreproductive acceleration with a gradient less than a gradient of thefirst reproductive acceleration such that the second reproductiveacceleration compensates for the insufficiency of the first reproductiveacceleration in the simulation of a lateral acceleration of a railwayvehicle on a curve of a railway.
 4. The lateral steady accelerationsimulation system for railway vehicle of claim 1, wherein: the controlmechanism controls an angular acceleration and an angular velocity ofthe rotation of the simulated passenger room about the forward-backwardaxis by the roll application mechanism to be within a range in which therolling movement is not recognized by human beings.
 5. The lateralsteady acceleration simulation system for railway vehicle of claim 1,wherein: when the base is in motion in one of the left direction and theright direction and the second reproductive acceleration has reachedzero, the control mechanism adjusts the second reproductive accelerationto have a negative value so as to stop motion of the base andcorrespondingly adjusts the first reproductive acceleration.
 6. Alateral steady acceleration simulation system for railway vehiclecomprising: a simulated passenger room simulating an interior of arailway vehicle; a base for supporting the simulated passenger room; aroll application mechanism provided between the base and the simulatedpassenger room, the roll application mechanism being capable of applyingto the simulated passenger room at least a rolling movement about aforward-backward axis; a laterally moving mechanism for moving the basein either of a left or a right direction; and a control mechanism forcontrolling the roll application mechanism and the laterally movingmechanism; wherein the control mechanism makes control in such a mannerthat the simulated passenger room is rotated and inclined about theforward-backward axis by mechanism of the roll application mechanism,thereby causing to a person riding on the simulated passenger room afirst reproductive acceleration that is a component force, along aninclined plane, of gravitational acceleration, and also in such a mannerthat the base is subjected to accelerated motion in either of the leftor right direction by way of the laterally moving mechanism, therebycausing a second reproductive acceleration to the person riding on thesimulated passenger room, the first and second reproductiveaccelerations both being utilized to simulate lateral steadyacceleration on a railway, and the control mechanism controls the rollapplication mechanism and the laterally moving mechanism to generate thesecond reproductive acceleration whose absolute figure is less than thatof the first reproductive acceleration such that the second reproductiveacceleration compensates for the insufficiency of the first reproductiveacceleration in the simulation of a lateral acceleration of the railwayvehicle on a curve of a railway.
 7. A lateral steady accelerationsimulation system for railway vehicle comprising: a simulated passengerroom simulating an interior of a railway vehicle; a base for supportingthe simulated passenger room; a roll application mechanism providedbetween the base and the simulated passenger room, the roll applicationmechanism being capable of applying to the simulated passenger room atleast a rolling movement about a forward-backward axis; a laterallymoving mechanism for moving the base in either of a left or a rightdirection; and a control mechanism for controlling the roll applicationmechanism and the laterally moving mechanism; wherein the controlmechanism makes control in such a manner that the simulated passengerroom is rotated and inclined about the forward-backward axis bymechanism of the roll application mechanism, thereby causing to a personriding on the simulated passenger room a first reproductive accelerationthat is a component force, along an inclined plane, of gravitationalacceleration, and also in such a manner that the base is subjected toaccelerated motion in either of the left or right direction by way ofthe laterally moving mechanism, thereby causing a second reproductiveacceleration to the person riding on the simulated passenger room, thefirst and second reproductive accelerations both being utilized tosimulate lateral steady acceleration on a railway, the control mechanismcompensates for an insufficiency of the first reproductive accelerationwith the second reproductive mechanism, and the control mechanismcontrols at least one of an angular acceleration and an angular velocityof the rotation of the simulated passenger room about theforward-backward axis by the roll application mechanism to be within arange in which the rolling movement is not recognized by human beings.